Unexpected Journey
by Tonegawa Rie
Summary: AU, where a seven-year-old Sakura had the misfortune of having a seemingly permanent but unwilling 'stalker'. Said 'stalker' was decidedly unhappy with the situation, but tried to accept it anyway. If someone asked; this 'stalker' was not enjoying his predicament at all. Being dead was better than being a ghost 'stalker', surely. Eventual Shisui x Sakura.
1. Chapter 1: Ghost Town

**My first Shisui x Sakura! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1: Ghost Town**

Hell if he knew. Screw this, he died. He _died._

So, why was he here, following a pink haired little girl like a stalker that he vehemently denied that he wasn't, instead of being in a heaven or hell? Heck, even nothingness would be better than this.

Shisui chuckled bitterly as his form unwillingly followed the girl.

Suicide didn't successfully erase him from this world. He should have known, it was not right to do suicide, especially in front of a best friend to awaken said best friend's cursed power.

So... was this because of that?

Shisui sighed. He could do being a spirit thingie for now. He hoped no one could see a spirit made by spiritual energy/Yin chakra, or he was done with this whole stuff.

And that was when someone in the Pure Land (*cough* someone with horns *cough*) gave him the figurative middle finger in a purest and subtlest way to say 'fuck you'.

"Excuse me, mister. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Haha, see. There went the hope.

Shisui sighed, he could only hope now that the girl was the _only_ one who could see him... otherwise, he might go crazy from the stares that he might have received because his mind wasn't ready for something like this.

Screw his Sharingan overpowered Genjutsu. Screw that shit, he had the feeling that it somehow landed him in this situation, where he had to follow one who had the same Genjutsu potential as him, in a freaking spirit form. Why couldn't it be Sasuke, with the Uchiha clan reduced to only that kid? ... right, he suspected that it took someone with a high affinity to Genjutsu to see him, and that kid's Genjutsu skill was horribly crap he had no business trying to master even the easiest one.

If Shisui could bang his head to the nearest wall, he would do it multiple times by now.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui. Can I know your name, little girl?"

The girl frowned cutely. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Excuse me, Shisui-san, why are you in my room?"

Now that he paid attention to his surroundings, he could see that he was in someone's bedroom, namely this Haruno Sakura girl's bedroom. What kind of a creepy man was he to follow a little girl to her bedroom, unwillingly or not?

"Right... I kinda don't have a choice in this matter." Shisui reasoned to himself as he looked away from the bewildered stare the girl gave him. "It's not my choice to follow you, Sakura-chan," he uttered, firmly. At the still confused face Sakura was giving him, he elaborated, "you see, I... I'm not living? Not a ghost, but a spiritual manifestation of... um, myself? I guess? Ugh, I can't even explain this to myself, how do I know how this thing works-"

Sakura chose that time to scream.

* * *

After asking her parents if they see a man in her room and they answered with a confused 'no', she assured them that she was just excited that she passed the exams today. After her parents got out of her bedroom, Sakura stared at Shisui with focus, as her body was frozen to the spot where she currently sat.

Her mind was in denial.

 _Ghost? Invincible man? What is he?_

"You can stop staring and start asking, you know."

Sakura blushed, ducked her head low in shame. She could have just asked him instead of staring at him like the act would magically produce an answer for her. Crap, why didn't she think of that earlier?

After a minute or so, Sakura's timid voice broke out the silence in the room that unknowingly was starting to suffocate both of them.

"You're not going to hurt me like in the stories?"

Haruno Sakura was an avid reader since she could read (since she was three). She loved reading, and loved doing trivia games with her parents and recently, her best friend, Yamanaka Ino. She read books like they were candies to children, and she read romance, horror, mystery, adventure, practically every genre out there.

There was this particular horror book that contained a young woman who was followed by a vengeful spirit who sought out revenge on her for being friend with the spirit's former husband. Just by being a friend, the spirit tried to kill the woman with everything it could do.

Even now, Sakura shivered as she stared up at Shisui.

She was simply a seven-year-old girl with a budding crush on Uchiha Sasuke and had only one best friend namely, Yamanaka Ino. By nature, she was a quiet girl who liked to observe her surroundings first before she interacts with it. Her, being friend with a social butterfly that was Ino when she was five, changed that.

She used 'act first, ask later' approach that she deemed best because Ino was her idol, and the method proved effective. But not this time, she assumed.

"No. I can't even if I wanted anyway," the teenage ghost snorted, folded his arms in distaste. "What gave you that notion?"

"I like to read, and ghosts are depicted as harmful beings in a lot of books..."

"Hmmm, quite an intelligent girl, aren't you. Alright, from now on don't believe those books. Simple, isn't it?"

Sakura shook her head, "What? I can't! Books are my," she quieted down and murmured out, "my first friend."

A chilling wind blew at Sakura and she gaped at Shisui.

Somehow she knew that Shisui was conflicted when he gave off those... chilling winds around him.

Shisui clicked his tongue when he noticed the girl shivering and stared at him with wide eyes full of fear. He stuck his transparent hand out.

"Be my friend?" he requested, although unsure of what compelled him to ask such request, yet he had done it anyway.

Sakura was frowning but she grasped the boy's hand, albeit cautiously.

Her hand didn't pass through the boy's hand, as Sakura had initially thought. No, she actually felt the warm hand she had grasped.

Sakura didn't know that she made Shisui feel like he was touched by hot fire.

"Friends."

That was the awkward start of their journey.


	2. Chapter 2: Peace Time

**Chapter 2:** **Peace Time**

"What are you doing there?"

It was Sunday morning. Academy students were free to do as they pleased, so Shisui didn't need to go down the Konoha streets. However, he was being grumpy, as being a ghost that had to follow someone, he had nothing better to do other than to entertain himself with watching Sakura the whole day (a rather creepy activity Shisui tried to avoid to the best of his ability) or actually make a conversation with her.

Eventually, he gave up on not talking, and so he started with a small talk when the sun was already up, and Sakura was on the floor with a piece of paper and a box of crayons on her side.

"I can't choose what color for this." Sakura waved a paper with a hand glove design. "I want to knit gloves for myself. Err, my birthday is coming soon, you see, so I have to hurry up but I can't choose between white, blue, red, or black."

Shisui sagged his shoulders down, disappointed by today's kids. When he was in the academy, he was training when there was no academy to attend to. However, he could be lenient with Sakura when he realized that these days, kids were enjoying peacetime (temporary it may be, but peace is peace).

"Red and white suits you, but hmm," Shisui glanced at the paper, "I think for gloves, black or blue is good."

"But that's common, right?" Sakura scowled and puffed her cheeks.

Shisui stared at the ceilings in exasperation and remarked, "Black and blue are common colors for shinobi to wear, yes."

"I want it to be a rare color!"

Shisui lamented on his ability to easily forget that Sakura was Sasuke's age. These days, seven-year-old kids were simply weird creatures, no matter how mature they sound like. In Sakura's case, she sounded mature... sometimes. A result from being an only kid like him, he supposed. But still, he and Sakura were so different.

He came to his now favorite conclusion.

 _Peacetime kids are ridiculous,_ he concluded, his face a picture of dismay.

"Then, why are you considering it?" he entertained Sakura for the sake of it.

"Black and blue are common colors but... um." Sakura scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Never mind." She turned her back on Shisui and started to color the glove design.

"It's not for Sasuke, is it?"

Sakura's face flushed red and she quite vehemently said, "no!"

Shisui groaned, tired of dealing with this.

"It _is_ for Sasuke," he huffed, ready to give the lecture for the fifth time. "Tell me, what did I tell you about having a crush, last time?"

"To not have one," Sakura mumbled out unwillingly. This time, unlike the last four times, she learned not to question him. That was a progress.

Shisui nodded and urge her to continue, "yes. And...?"

Sakura made a face and wrinkled her nose. "Be serious with the academy, not thinking and following Sasuke-kun around?"

It's a start, he guessed.

"Yes, _please_ remember that. Oh, and make the gloves black. Whether it was for yourself or not, black _is_ a good color."

* * *

It was nighttime and Shisui occupied Sakura's balcony to watch the night sky. Almost a week since Shisui had to follow Haruno Sakura around like a disgruntled puppy, often without saying anything for her favor.

In his unwilling quest to follow her around (he found out that the distance he could take from her was just 7 meters, to his utter horror), he had discovered that the girl had a puppy crush on his close cousin, Sasuke, for two years. Including a bunch of girls in the academy too, according to his observation.

He was depressed with the fact when he knew this. Crushes in the academy were now in the norm? He didn't know that.

Moreover, Sakura followed his cousin like... him following Sakura, but willingly. After he watched and almost wanted to puke a few times, he thought that it was... rather pathetic that _Sasuke_ himself seemed to not even know of her existence, let alone her name.

Showed how gullible Sakura was to her books. He could put it together that whatever Sakura had for Sasuke was a shallow crush, at best. What made her believe that she 'loved' Sasuke (cue shudders) was the god-awful amount of romance books he thought was not healthy for her developing mental growth. It almost looked like she deluded herself into thinking that Sasuke is perfect in everything he does, when in fact Sasuke was just a human like she was; meaning not really perfect (the horrible genjutsu skill, for one).

Shisui wanted to know why he was in this situation. He didn't... do anything to deserve this, did he?

Ah, right. He was and still is a shinobi. One who had honor, unlike a good amount of shinobi who hadn't even thought of honor, but he was still a shinobi.

Screw it. He couldn't care less. He just had to accomplish something for this was his second chance. But it was hard to stay positive when all he wanted was to _stay_ dead.

Yet, he still could remember all the good things in his life; like watching sunsets with Itachi and pledging their loyalties to the village together, without saying a thing to each other. Sasuke, a cute but oftentimes grumpy kid, who he still couldn't help but liked him because of his cuteness, not because he was Itachi's brother.

Of all people, he would want it to be Sasuke (for he was young) or Itachi (no matter how painful it would be, he still want to watch over him).

Not this... this unknown little girl he begrudgingly befriended because he was stuck with her on an undefined amount of time.

But Shisui was not one to blame someone like her just because the situation was not on his favor.

He could learn to tolerate or even like her. Time could do that to people, after all.

Although he had to make the effort to like her presence, he was sure once he found her good qualities, he would like her.

Shisui nodded to himself as he gaze up to the red moon above, quietly pledging to try his best.


	3. Chapter 3: Good Night

**Author's Note: I thought of deleting this story. Because honestly, I don't want to write a creepy story. But then I thought it over and over. There is only one person that gave me that review. I can't please everyone. With that in mind, I think I can accept that kind of review as a different point of view and try to find the positives instead of feeling down and think about discontinuing. I thank you for those who want this to continue.**

 **Though with the author note I had posted before, I had thought more people would say that this was creepy. But none say so. So, without you guys, I think chapter 3 will not be posted. I really, really sincerely thank all of you, even you who feel that this story is not up to your standard.**

 **Thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Chapter 3: Good Night**

A few days went by and Shisui felt his attempts were unsuccessful.

The more he interacted with her, the more odd Sakura's behavior (her classmates, too) looked to him; often automatically making him cringe inside. However, he paid more attention to treat her nicely by saying what would benefited her, like; "Girls your age should eat as much as they can to look good in the future" because she went on a no rice diet for the majority girls in her class did so to impress either Sasuke or another boy they were after.

Sakura was Eight, she wasn't supposed to be a self-conscious girl at that age. He often said to her; 'your 'love' toward Sasuke hindered your growth as a kunoichi' and the like. However, 'please just focus on your duty as an academy student' was more common.

He didn't know how he always automatically criticize her, but he said what he thought was best for her. It was different when he was with Itachi because he was forced to interact with her. With Itachi, he was natural and his emotions were free. When he was with Sakura... he was as harsh as he was with Itachi, but more so because the girl actually missing some common sense in his opinion.

Shisui felt that the girl needed it. Her parents were strangely negligent with her emotional developments, they were only concerned when something that can be seen showed up, so he felt he had to step up like he did with Itachi who had a dense father and a busy mother.

He knew Sakura didn't like it. Even so, he would not stop for he felt that it was necessary.

But then one day, Sakura herself decided that enough was enough.

* * *

Even if Shisui said to her that crushes at her age were bad and that it was wrong to have one, Sakura thought that it was him that was in the wrong. A plenty of girls in her class had one or two boys they liked, and that was the proof that Shisui was wrong; because it can't be wrong when so many people her age had it.

Although Sakura knew Sasuke-kun didn't know her and she almost knew nothing about him, she felt that her feelings were true love... or maybe it was respect and admiration of Sasuke-kun's skills (Shisui had once said that it was not 'love' and had said that it was admiration or respect), but Sakura knew she liked Sasuke-kun.

But not adults stuff like in the books (she once read her father's secret stash of confusing books and she found that she didn't like Sasuke-kun like the heroine liked the hero, she didn't want to undress him after all).

"Kids your age should train, not following their crushes around." A passing comment from Shisui who spotted Sakura, who unconsciously started following Sasuke after the academy was over. Every day he would comment something like that, trying to convince her that having a crush is a bad news whenever she did or said something about Sasuke.

Honestly, it was getting irritating and also annoying. Sakura couldn't tolerate it anymore this time, so she retaliated instead of letting the older boy speak his mind.

"What's wrong with me following him?" She stood there behind the bushes where she could spot Sasuke, who was on his way back home, easily. "I wouldn't follow him back to his house, I couldn't even if I wanted to!" Because it's in the Uchiha district where outsiders can't enter easily.

"It's a crime that would make the," Shisui let out a pained cough, "Police Force arrest you if you're not an academy student." Shisui folded his arms in front of his chest, trying to erase the thoughts about his clan. "Just focus to study and train hard to become a good kunoichi. You're not at the age to 'love' someone else other than your own family."

Sakura clenched her fists. "Who are you to say that to me?" She took a deep breath. "I don't have a bad intention nor do I neglecting my studies." She closed her eyes and opened them a second later.

"Fine. Say what you want, Shisui-san," then she stared up directly at the ghost that kept bothering her without her consent, "but please, shut up about me liking him. I like him. I can like whoever I want," she declared, hotly, her hands on her hips, "and it's my feelings. You're not me, so you don't know how I feel."

Shisui raised his eyebrows at the oddly mature way Sakura was speaking. "I saw that you read too many books about romance. You might have deluded yourself, thinking that being in love is great and because Sasuke is the number one popular boy in your class-"

Sakura bit back a growl and turned her back away from him. "Please shut up, Shisui-san." Sakura's voice was breaking. She wiped the frustrated tears that escaped her eyelids and muttered, "How can you say that... that I... I like Sasuke-kun because of those reasons...?"

Although he wanted to continue, Shisui held back and kept silent the entire way to Sakura's home (Sakura had forgotten about following Sasuke to the Uchiha district's entrance already). He felt that he went too far when he heard her crying silently.

He felt like a bully now.

* * *

For almost a week, he didn't talk with Sakura.

When he mulled it over, he was starting to think that Sakura was right. He went overboard trying to control her, didn't he? Because what he witnessed with Sakura was something new, something so foreign that he never experienced himself. He only knew it from... the books he read and the people he observed.

In that way, he and Sakura were alike. Books. Back then when Masato died, he started to use books as his guide to life. To a life where Sarutobi Masato, his best friend, was no more to guide him.

That was why when he met Itachi, who had almost the same problem as him, he had instantly taken a liking of him. Itachi was one who had tried his best at life, who hadn't given up at the first opportunity because he was too brilliant for his age and adults couldn't understand him. In his opinion, Itachi was simply different than normal... almost like him, but different. He kind of relates to Itachi because of that.

Like Itachi, Shisui was often called 'brilliant' or 'talented' or 'once in a generation'. That was why the clan held a high expectation when he graduated the academy at 5, a remarkably young age. Much like Hatake Kakashi, he was regarded as one of the youngest students to graduate.

"Sakura," he began, "I'm sorry."

"Following Sasuke around doesn't benefit either you nor Sasuke. I had thought that it rendered you incapable of studying seriously and... your thinking capability, to be honest. That's why I didn't like it," he said, gently, as he plopped down beside a sulking Sakura. "Moreover, he's my close family; for that reason, I don't like it when you said that you liked him while almost never personally interacted with him and knowing almost nothing about him."

He let his hand touch the girl's shoulder, not minding the burning feeling he feels whenever he touches her. "Liking someone is a wonderful thing, I admit, and no one should ever judge you for that. But, it is a great deal when you are declaring that without even having one real conversation with him. I would like it if you talk to him first. As a friend, you know? You will be 9 next year, right? There's no hurry to be mature in the matter of love."

Sakura nodded, her head down, not wanting to meet his eyes. It was a surprise for her that Shisui apologized and admitting being Sasuke's family. While she knew that he was an Uchiha, judging by the clan symbol on his back, he never once mentioned that he was familiar with Sasuke.

"Okay, Shisui-san." Sakura nodded and wiped the escaping tears away. She was upset and a bit of afraid that Shisui would be mad with her outburst. She was relieved when he apologized and she also understood where he was coming from. "Thank you."

* * *

One month went by after he apologized to Sakura for being insensitive. Shisui was strolling the village's streets, without even thinking, because he didn't need to think about it, following Sakura who was on her way to the academy.

Accidentally, he overheard two men talking, although hushed, he still could hear it clearly.

"I want to kill this guy."

"He's too strong for you. After all, not everyone could kill the Uchiha in one night without anyone noticing."

"Like kamaitachi; he's bringing bad luck to his own clan. His parents shouldn't have had named him Itachi."

"... shhh, don't say his name out loud."

"Just saying his name wouldn't kill, you know."

He was reminded that his clan was no more. His negativity was back with full force.

He remembered the moment when he arrived in this world as a ghost. He had appeared in the Uchiha district, bared with no life. He had speculated that it was Danzō who had done it, but... to think that these people saying it was Itachi.

There was no way.

His rage towards Danzō was multiplied, and it extended to Sandaime and his teammates who did nothing to stop that madman from threatening Itachi.

He could picture it. Itachi was being forced by that rat Danzō to massacre the clan.

 _Damn it. I'm sorry, Itachi. I'm really sorry._

* * *

Sakura could feel the slightly chilling air that Shisui exuded, so she stopped skipping on her toes and glanced on and off to her follower's direction. She knew if she spoke to him in public, nothing good would happen, so she opted to watch him.

She let her gaze wander to the old lady sitting at the tea shop nearby.

There was a guy with silver hair talking to that lady. Something about him made her curious so she squinted.

A brown haired girl, around 4 years or so older than her, was following the guy around. And she was transparent.

Sakura shook her head, not wanting to confirm it. One ghost was enough for her.

* * *

Itachi.

It was not Danzō.

His clan was wiped out by the very person he had sworn off to not ever betray, although Itachi was forced to do it.

Shisui clenched his fists tightly, as he struggled to comprehend it.

He was standing at the corridor near Sakura's bedroom because he didn't want to be outside watching the moon.

He was here thinking about his situation, not caring how cold he sounded when he brushed off Sakura earlier.

He needed to vent but he was intangible.

And so Shisui meditated to clear his mind, something he rarely does unless he felt it was necessary.

* * *

Today's homework was given by Mizuki-sensei who liked to give difficult problems that sometimes were not even taught yet. Unlike last time, Sakura considered herself lucky because she had a senior shinobi that only she can communicate with.

"Shisui-san, can you help with my―"

With his back turned, Shisui bit out, "Don't talk to me right now."

Sakura hugged herself as chilling winds around her made her cold.

"Shisui-san―"

He was gone in a blink of an eye. Sakura stood there, frozen. She didn't know he could do that.

"... what happened?"

* * *

Sakura let her eyes glide to the direction of her room's door. Shisui was outside since afternoon and her room was cold even with the heater turned on, likely because Shisui was behind that door, upset or something.

Suddenly the chilly air disappeared, and Sakura was greeted with the sight of Shisui walking through her room's door.

"There's something I want to talk about tomorrow." Shisui's eyes were concealed by his unruly bangs. "Good night."

Sakura's train of thoughts stopped the moment she heard that. A relieved smile formed on her face as she eyed Shisui's leaving form.

"Good night, Shisui-san."


	4. Chapter 4: Attachments

**Pardon me for the countless grammar mistakes.**

 **I edited this multiple times because apparently, I got no sense of time for this fic. Sakura just turned eight in March, and now in April, she's a third grader and in the same class as Naruto and Sasuke because she is in the same age group as them. Remember, I use the Japanese school term, April-March, so Sakura is actually younger than Naruto who was born in October, not older. Sakura is the baby in the team seven lol. I tell you, sometimes I get upset because a fic assumed that in canon, Sakura was older than Sasuke and Naruto because she isn't.**

 **P.S. In this fic, Sakura's eighth birthday isn't celebrated because it isn't a tradition for Japanese to celebrate it. Naruto's family is an exception, though, because they seemed to celebrate it in the Road to Ninja. Well, she got gifts but no celebration.**

 **Well, to the story!**

 **Chapter 4: Attachments**

Morning came rather quickly for her. Her alarm clock ringing, and then there she was, wide-awake. Before she went to the bathroom to wash her face, she addressed the teenage boy who appeared to be sleeping.

"Good morning, Shisui-san," she chirped, still, she was quiet in order not to alert her parents downstairs.

Shisui opened his eyes and said, "Good morning."

After a period of silence, Sakura shifted and glanced at him, "Well, Shisui-san, last night... you said you want to talk..."

"Yes," Shisui looked above and moved closer to face Sakura, "it's... my likely attachments to this world and training you."

"Attachments and... training me?" That was unexpected to her. He looked so solemn and cold last night she thought he would tell her that he disliked her or something.

"Possibly, my attachments are Itachi and Sasuke."

That was too personal of him. She almost couldn't believe that Shisui was talking about this to her that she couldn't say anything other than; "eh?" and a barely heard "what".

"I'm also curious about your 'mysterious' talent for anchoring me―my soul―to this world. I want... well, I want you to find what it is that you have that you can do this or if another person can do this as well. Not to mention, you actually have untapped potentials that every teacher in the academy outright ignore. So in order to find what your 'ability' is, that I'm sure was yin-chakra related, I have to train you." _And I want you to help me with Danzō, but that's for another time._

Sakura hummed and clutched her pillow close to her chest, "Well... training, huh. I don't have a problem with that. But what is it about Sasuke-kun? And, who is this Itachi?"

Exhaling, Shisui corrected, "That's Itachi-san to you. And well, he's... he's my closest friend and Sasuke's elder brother."

"Eh? Sasuke-kun has an elder―?" Sakura gaped.

Shisui shot a look at the pink haired girl, "You didn't know?" it was uttered with such disbelief that Sakura winced, possibly with shame.

"Um... I didn't."

"Ridiculous. And you're still claiming you're in love with Sasuke?"

"Hey, stop that! You said you won't question me about that anymore!"

"Heh. Alright," Shisui smirked.

Sakura pouted as Shisui irked her with that smirk. She turned her head to the side and harrumphed.

"Another reason for me to train you is; I need you to be strong to help Sasuke and Itachi."

Sakura frowned at that. She softly inhaled and asked, "Are Sasuke-kun and Itachi-san in danger?"

Shisui grimaced, his face went back to neutral expression before he responded, "You can say that. That's why you have to be strong enough to help Sasuke and Itachi... well, if you want to help, of course. I'm not forcing you." _Yeah, right. I wasn't. ... darn it, who am I fooling? I won't ask you to help them if I was able to do it myself. But unfortunately for me, I can't leave you and you're the only one who can see me._

Sakura gulped as Shisui's face turned from neutral to something that screamed 'woe is me'. Because Shisui never showed that face to her before, she hurriedly exclaimed, "I'll help them, Shisui-san!"

"... that's good." Totally.

"But... well, I'm going to be strong in the future, without your help. I just turned eight and Konoha is in no danger of war. I'm sure when I graduate from the Academy, I would be plenty strong to help Sasuke-kun and his brother," she argued, suddenly feeling scared, "Why is it have to be now? Is the danger immediate? Do I have to tell Hokage-sama?"

Shisui knew Sakura was just scared because this was sudden and... she was just a child.

"Sakura, no, I don't need you to tell the Sandaime. What you need to know is that, your current training in the academy is not enough. The Academy has grown too soft. I have taken down lots of enemies when I was your age, and you? Lots of target practice dummies, I'm sure. Even Sasuke has Itachi showing him how to hunt large, dangerous animals... giant cats, mostly, but that's tame compared to what I've done when I was his age." Usually not one to boast, but he wanted Sakura to know that he wasn't a slouch being a ninja when he was alive.

"You mean, unlike me, when you're about my age, you're already fighting with your life out there?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head, bewildered.

He sighed tiredly at that, "Tell me about it. Well, I cannot blame you as your parents are rather... lame."

"Shisui-san..." Sakura scowled at him. Was the Academy before she entered, allowing students to fight outside the Konoha's walls? "Um, how old are you, Shisui-san?"

"I've never told you my age, huh. Well, tell me, how old was I when I first participated in a battle?"

"Hmm. You said before that you just recently died. You looked about seven to ten years older than me, and that means you're... about eight to eleven years old when the Kyūbi's attacked. By that time, the Academy graduating age was ten thanks to the Yondaime, because the Third Great Ninja War made the Academy Graduation Age lowered to nine. And then upped by the Sandaime to eleven after the Kyūbi. There's no way you fought in the attack as only ninja above twenty five were allowed to fight.

"It was only after the Kumo's failed peace delegation that the Academy Graduation Age was twelve, and there was no fight at all. By then, you're about eleven or above and must have been graduated already. So, you have been a ninja for more than five years utmost until your... death. And that means, you had fought a 'war' because of the now resolved conflict Konoha had with Kiri. The conflict was a leftover from the Third War and that's where―" Sakura was interrupted by an irritated-faced Shisui who was mussing his already messy hair.

"Stop, stop right there. Gah, just please stop rambling. Geez, now I feel a supposedly impossible headache because of you."

Sakura lowered her head, "Sorry, I was just..."

"It's okay. But you're wrong in some areas. I'll give you a hint; I participated in the last war."

Sakura breathed in and widened her eyes, "R-really? But that's... Are you older than you look?"

Shisui deadpanned at her expression, "No. Well, I'll tell you what, I'm going to be sixteen in October."

"Oh." He had died young, then. She didn't know what to say after knowing this. When she first met him, she had thought he was a middle aged shinobi that was only young-looking... because she couldn't fathom a person seven years older than her was dead and currently unable to pass on properly. She heard him sigh and then she looked up at him.

"Well, do you agree to help Sasuke and Itachi?" Sakura nodded, "No slacking off and complaining when I'm training you, got it?"

Even if it sounded like a threat, Sakura nodded once more with a small smile, regarding it lightly because Shisui's face morphed into a blinding grin that made her grip her pillow tighter to contain the inexplicable feeling of happiness that she had when he smiled.

She did, however, thought he smiled like that on purpose.

* * *

"So, then, Sasuke-kun, Naruto and I will be at the district's entrance after I―"

"I don't live there anymore."

Today, the third day of being a third grader, Iruka-sensei assigned a group project to the class. Luckily, she had Sasuke-kun in her group. Unluckily, she had Naruto in the group as well. Well, Sasuke-kun was the leader for this project, so the three of them had to go to the leader's house to do it, per Iruka-sensei instructions. She was relieved because she didn't have to show her ordinary house nor going to Naruto's dirty apartment.

She was looking forward to go inside the Uchiha district, but Sasuke-kun said that he didn't live in the district anymore. That was something she didn't know before. But Shisui-san once said that the Uchiha District was empty, so that was the proof that Shisui-san was right.

"Where do you live now?" Sakura asked, trying not to sound eager. She couldn't help it, she had always assumed that even if his clan all gone all of the sudden a few months ago, he would live in the district all alone.

Sasuke threw a sideways glance at her. "None of your business."

She felt her stomach dropped at the faint disdain in his voice. "Oh." Oh, indeed. Did she sound too pushy? Retreat, retreat. "Well, then, um, where are we going to―"

"I've never said I'm going to work on the project with you."

And that, made Sakura's stomach churn and twist with something unrecognizable. "Y-you're right," she eventually said after a long period of silence between them, "but, um, we can do the work at my house if you'd like. I'm sure Iruka-sensei would understand. And Naruto, too." It was better to work the project at her small house rather than not spending time with Sasuke-kun at all. Naruto's apartment wasn't even an option because... well, it just wasn't.

Sasuke turned his back on her. "No, thank you," he stated, dismissing her completely, hands already in his pockets before he got up and walked toward the classroom's exit.

The phrase was polite and yet... his voice. His voice didn't hold an ounce of kindness in it.

Sakura only felt cold when he uttered that, because he sounded rather empty. He always sounded like that ever since his family was gone... somewhere, but this was the first time she took it seriously. Since Shisui-san's dressing down of her crush on Sasuke-kun, she started noticing that Sasuke-kun wasn't like her ideal prince that would sweep her feet off the ground, to say.

Well, at first, he was. He was all smiles and sparkling big, black eyes whenever she looked at him before the Uchiha was all gone. He was rather talkative to certain people, she once caught him talking to Chōji who had the same prestige of being heirs to noble clans. Sakura was fine with him seemingly interacting only with people that had good backgrounds, because she knew her parents were just... normal chūnin with no reputations to speak of.

When Sasuke walked away from her without even discussing to split the work or not, she didn't even try to follow him. She was rooted on her place, trying not to cry and yell that life wasn't fair to her.

He was her first... crush, that she admit. She wondered if maybe, Sasuke-kun considered her as the same as the rest of his admirers when he ignored her like this. That maybe, she was just not as unique in his eyes as she thought she was. Well, no one had a combination of pink hair and green eyes in the class, as far as she knew. Was it her wide forehead? Did Ino's red bandana pronounce the ugliness of it...?

She didn't even register Shisui calling her name or Naruto leaving the seat beside her to follow Sasuke.

Sakura dipped her head low, and exhaled a dejected sigh when she caught a glimpse of purple in her peripheral sight.

"What do you want?" she bit out, without looking at the purple-clad blonde.

Ino smirked wryly, "Nothing, nothing." Soon, she giggled to herself and then processed to walk away before she cheerily waved to her, "See you next week, Sakura!"

Ino was making fun of her and... talking to her instead of ignoring her presence. Ever since she had distanced herself from Ino because of their crushes on Sasuke-kun, Ino and her was doing their best to ignore each other. That's why she just blinked and negative thoughts about Sasuke-kun forgotten in favor of thinking about her former friend.

"... I'm so stupid."

* * *

Shisui growled, fists clenched tightly at each side. He was witnessing it. His cute cousin was no more. The innocence and the determination. Gone.

Sasuke. Sasuke was like an empty shell right now. Like a walking puppet who only could utter a few words.

Had no one taking care of that kid? On a closer look, Sasuke was... he barely looked like he was alive. Like he wasn't even eating right. There was bags under his eyes. And his clothes. God, they were rumpled and messy and―it was like he wasn't ironing them before he wore it.

He was so frustrated that he tried to follow Sasuke.

"Oi, Sasuke! Are you going to do all the work?"

It was the jinchūriki. Uzumaki Naruto, if he recalled that correctly.

"Usuratonkachi," he heard his distant cousin muttering under his breath, "I'm not going to do it. Sakura will."

"Huh? Are we going to dump all the work on Sakura-chan?"

There was no hint of hesitation when Sasuke answered, "Yes."

"You're skipping? Like me? Since when you are like this, huh, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's brow twitched. "Go away."

"Tch, I was just asking. What's your problem, anyway? Acting like you don't want to spend time with us and stuff. You don't care about being number one anymore? Well, Sakura-chan cares about your grades! And my grades, too... I guess."

"Why are you bothering me with this? Just go away already, Naruto."

"Sakura-chan's pretty... and too nice. You shouldn't be mean to her. Do you even see her face when you're talking to her? You have eyes, right? Use it, you bastard."

"Why are you telling me those things? She's annoying."

"What the―? Sakura-chan was being nice! You're too much of a douche to understand that she wants us― no, she wants you to do the project with her!"

"Shut up, idiot. You're being annoying like her. If you want, just help her do the project and skip my name from the paper. I don't need good grades... to be a good ninja."

With that, Sasuke and Naruto walked away from his hearing range, and he wasn't able to follow them further. They continued arguing, as he kept his eyes on them, not wanting to look at the pathetic sight of Sakura taking Sasuke's attitude toward her too seriously. That girl should be able to see that Sasuke was too trapped in his own world to respond nicely to her.

Still, he allowed himself to smile.

The good things he was able to find from this was that, Sasuke was more responsive to Naruto. Although he was jittery at the thought of Sasuke being near the jinchūriki, he couldn't help but happy seeing Sasuke scowling and talking back to Naruto like a normal kid, and not being an emotionless statue that he was when he was in the proximity of anyone else other than Naruto.

Shisui was grateful.

Still... to be able to help Sasuke without meaning to. That Naruto kid sure was something.


End file.
